The Road Ahead
by Yamiyugikun
Summary: Tales of Vesperia. After Belius's death, Estelle finds comfort in Yuri's arms. Through Estelle, Yuri learns what exactly compassion is. Oneshot. Yuri x Estelle, M/F, het lemon.


**Title:** The Road Ahead

**Fandom:** Tales of Vesperia

**Pairing:** Estelle x Yuri

**Rating:** M for lemon

**Summary:** After Belieus's death at Nordopolica, Estelle feels responsible seeking comfort in Yuri's arms, when she confesses to him how she truly feels. I apologize if this fic runs a bit long for a one-shot lemon, but it would be somewhat out of character in my opinion, if Yuri and Estelle suddenly hit the bed, cause she seems rather innocent, and he is caring and protective towards her.

**A/N:** I tried to keep this as tasteful as possible, but also to give an idea what's going on. I'm not much of a lemon writer. This will probably be the first and last het lemon I do. I hope it turned out okay as I don't really write fics in the genre, coming from yaoi instead.

* * *

**Yuri's POV**

"I…I'm nothing but an insipid poison the Endelexia want to rid from the world," Estelle cried, over Belius's form in Nordopolicia's coliseum. "I…I'm sorry," she uttered collapsing on her knees.

The noble beast breathed heavily on the ground, her black eyes full of wisdom, now that she regained her mind, after Estelle attempted to heal Belius. But triggered by Estelle's hidden power, Belius lost her mind leaving us no choice but to fight her. In all her innocence, the pure hearted princess only wanted to help. Possessed by a power as the Child of the Full Moon, Estelle's abilities surpassed other healers and blastia users like myself, using magic without any blastia at all.

"Worry not…you were thinking only of saving me," came Belius's last words, drawn out lingering as her life flickered away. She glowed a radiant blue, blinding all her stood near her. Her massive form dematerialized into a substance of pure light.

"No!" wept Estelle, bursting into tears, bathed by the gentle light the dying Endelexia shed.

"Power corrupts…but you, you are different," Belius's voice echoed out, stroking the princess deep in guilt. "Never loose that kindness…that compassion you show so readily to others…" The love for Estelle Belius felt with all her heart shinned her eyes, closing for the last time as she laid her head on Estelle's shoulder, pressing a kiss to the quivering princess's cheek, if she could give one. "Now, go to Phaeroh…if you would learn of your destiny…"

"Belius!" sobbed Estelle, shaking in pain. "There was so much I wanted to ask, to know who I am. Please, don't leave me!" She reached out for the Endelexia who had dematerialized completely into light, bathing Estelle in warm blue tones, forming a crystal Estelle hugged weeping to her chest.

_Convey my soul—this cieno ciel—to my ally, Don Whitehorse. Be strong and go forth on the road ahead, dear child. _Then the flickering light died.

When Estelle heard those same words Belius uttered telepathically before her conscious faded, absorbed into the crystal Estelle cried on, I saw an even greater pain crossing her radiant face, remembering what she told me yesterday, _here's to the road ahead._

Everyone grieved inwardly, unable to utter a word to comfort the princess's ailing heart. Only the Hunting Blades rejoiced gleefully at the fact an apethia was formed from the noble beasts last life. My comrades fended them off and the hordes of Imperial Knights pouring into the coliseum led by Sodia.

"We must escape!" cried Karol in desperation.

I urged Estelle forth, but still collapsed on the ground, clasping the crystal to her chest, she protested, "No…I…I don't want to go anywhere." She sniffled, blinking to fight back more tears. "My power, it really is a poison." She spoke as if she herself were the poison that only brought heartache to those she held closest. "I thought I could help her, but I only brought about her death. I…I couldn't save her!" she wailed, drowning in regret that swallowed her whole inside.

In defiance of her words, I unsheathed my blade, wincing as it cut across my arm, and a stream of blood trickled out in red-hot rivulets, running down my wrist. The scent of my blood sweet like sugar wafted to her nose. She gasped, her dewy eyes going wide with horror at the crimson trickling down.

"What're doing, Yuri!?" she cried, springing to her feet, clasping her hands, as a spell circle glowed under her feet and her power rushed out to heal me.

"There. You saved me, didn't you?" I replied, feeling a smile tug at my widening lips. "Just like the first time we met and you were scared when we met, while I was escaping from the palace."

"But I…" Confusion and fear crossed her face at once.

We said no more storming out along with our friends, making a mad dash for the harbor. If we were caught and thrown in jail in chains, that'd be the last of our adventures, of Estelle's journey into discovering who she really was. When Karol and I formed our guild, Brave Vesperia, I held not only as the brightest star in my sky, but one inside my very heart to help my dear Estelle. I swore I would when Brave Vesperia formed, taking Estelle as our very first client, into a perilous journey beyond the sands of Kohgar. I told her then in the desert, _are you afraid of me, Estelle? If you are, you can join Flynn and go back to the castle. Someday, I might even turn my blade on you._

_You wouldn't, not unless you had a good reason. I want to go with you Yuri, continuing on my journey. Here's to the road ahead. _She extended her delicate hand to me under the starry sky, the closest we came to physical contact when our adventure started, as I wrapped my larger hand, calloused from years of using the sword around hers.

In my hand around hers, I wondered if she quivered in fear, smiling to keep from shaking outside. In the present, I reflected on that dashing with her towards the harbor. We raced down the torch lit street, racing as fast as our feet would carry us. One Knight, their Captain held his ground at the entrance to the harbor, stopping us dead in our tracks.

Flynn demanded Estelle's return and the apatheia, then implored, "Please Lady Estellise, return with us to the castle. As a Knight, its my duty to protect you, Your Majesty." He lowered his head, whispering, "Yuri has not done anything you'd object to, has he?"

I remembered when Estelle and I met back at the castle and she changed to her current dress, she told me not to peek when I waited outside, _that Flynn told me to be careful if I ever met you._ I didn't want him to think I'd done anything to his lady he swore to protect with his life. If a knight in the traditional sense, this meant her honor, meaning her chastity as well if she were to be the next empress, marrying to produce a legitimate heir.

"Yuri's protected me, so please Flynn, don't worry." She smiled sweetly, returning his bow.

"Even if we turned our blades on one another…" Flynn grasped my hand. "Promise me you'll continue to protect her."

"Let's go, or the Knights will catch us!" cried Rita.

I squeezed his hand back, smiling sadly. We were after all childhood friends, as he was the person who knew me most, my very soul until now. Sodia and the rest of his subordinates storming after left us no choice but to flee for our very lives on the dock. Once aboard we threw off the cables that moored our ship and raised her anchor sailing out with the Empire's navy in hot pursuit. There, in the distance by the light of a flickering torch that illuminated Flynn, I bade my dear friend goodbye.

Moments after we broke through the navy's blockade, Judith destroyed the blastia on our ship, only saying, "This is the path I've chosen." She escaped on Ba'ul who swooped from the sky carrying her off in the night. Rita was left trying to configure the ship's old blastia to its engine, while everyone sank into a stupor, with Judith's sudden betrayal and our ship drifting mindlessly on the waves. No lights except our ship's emergency back up could be used, in case the navy might catch us. Of those dim lamps, one lit the ship's interior cabin with bunks; one was on back by the stern, and the other up front by the bow, where Rita worked into the late hours to fix that blastia.

Sinking into my own dreary self, along with everyone else within, I made my way to the ship's interior cabin, reclining on one of the lower bunks. We'd be cast adrift until Rita synchronized the older blastia back with the engine, leaving me no choice but to linger now through time. As I closed my eyes, nodding off with the rocking of the ship, my thoughts drifted back to Estelle. Such a pure hearted girl who trusted what I said, like an angel bound in human form that could do nothing else, she had turned to me all many times in her desperate hour of need. Cutting myself back at the coliseum, letting her heal me like the time we first met, so she could prove her worth was all I could do. Something within me reached out saying to me, _you know you can't stand to see people suffering in pain, especially Estelle. If you can't help her feel better, what's your worth as a man?_ _Will your heart shine for her like Brave Vesperia in the night sky? _

I looked at the scar running down my arm from where Estelle had healed me. Could it be she held feelings for me, thus refusing Flynn's offer to return each time we met him? Or was it some unspoken love she held deep inside for Rita? The mage, after all, become quite possessive of Estelle fending from attacks. But Estelle shied from all romance, at least what I'd seen openly, except back at Halure. Karol joked then she had a wild side to her at dating both Flynn and I at once. I teased her about having a crush on him. She blushed so modestly I was sure no man had bedded her, much less touched her.

She was alone outside, on the back of the boat, bobbing in the waves, lost in the ribbon of light dancing towards the horizon, cast by the silver moon. Sighing, she closed her eyes lost in thought.

"Yuri risked his life for me when he took up my request for Brave Vesperia in accepting it, go so far to the sands of Kohgar to find Phaeroh, and all I could do back at the coliseum, when I wanted to save Belius…was cry," she whispered aloud at last.

"He even hurt himself so I could heal him and feel better about myself. Cut off from the Empire, I don't even have the funds to pay his guild and Karol's. Oh, Belius, what should I do? If only you were here," Estelle cried, gazing into the beautiful blue crystal Belius's soul left, moonlight sparkling in its depths, caught in its many facets, also reflecting Estelle's angelic face. "I know it was short in the time we met, but you were like a mother, Belius, so forgiving even when I hurt you."

_It is the compassion mirrored back in your own human heart, your purity that touched me,_ the last remnant of Belius's conscious that remained echoed back, through Estelle's wandering mind. _My child, you told Yuri to look forward on the road ahead. So seek it with him, whom you hold most dear._

"Thank you…Belius," she sniffled, hugging the crystal like her mother, her pink locks caressed in the night wind sighing. "Yes, I'll go forward with Yuri. There must be something I can do to repay him, for all his kindness he's done. I haven't even paid his guild…"

She crept into the cabin so quietly like a summer breeze gliding in so light on her feet I hardly stirred in sleep. Only a single dim light flicked by the entrance she locked to give us privacy. Her eyes fell over my lengthy purple tresses brushed aside, revealing my face to the darkness of the room. My waist length hair, splayed out like a wild mane beneath the mattress I slept on caught her fancy in ways she never imagined, feeling ashamed a moment, when a blush pink like her hair tinged her maiden cheeks. Her little heart pounded inside her breast.

_When you told me, Belius, to look forward with Yuri on the road ahead, is this what you meant? _She questioned, as curiosity rippled through. _When I felt my power was a poison, that all I did was hurt others, Yuri proved me wrong. Could he be the one help me now, as I felt hurt back then? Maybe that's what Belius meant by traveling together on this road we take ahead._

Something with me, in the deepest recesses of my body sensed her presence, though my mind remained oblivious wrapped in the slumber of sleep. Suddenly, the entire cabin's atmosphere changed in an aura drifting about: nearing, a purity I found I longed for I had lost within myself, the moment I dirtied my hands by taking human life, even if they were villains.

That spirit cloaked in innocence, the Child of the Full Moon drew closer. She marveled at the chiseled lines of my face, still round from youth I nearly lost, fully a man in my twenties. The deep voice that flowed when I spoke, the stiff column of my neck, rising up from my muscled shoulders, my entire body lying there still and motionless, caught her full attention. Quaking, her heart beat fast and her sight took in every detail of my being that could be read in a single, rendering glance.

The blastia in the gold bracelet around my wrist had slipped off before in my sleep. Estelle knelt over timidly, scooping it in her hands. She tucked away Belius's crystal in a pocket behind her dress leaving her dainty hands freed. Clad in white gloves, she grasped my bracelet gingerly, seeking for a way to slip it on me in sleep. Rolling onto my back, one of my arms roamed out, away for the wall tumbling towards her. She froze momentarily, rooted to her spot, green eyes widening in surprise, before leaning over and lifting my arm with one hand, sliding my bracelet back on.

She breathed a sigh of relief I felt in her warm breath hitting my skin, on my hand she just released. The heat of her touch surged through, racing in my veins while I slept. The body can seem to possess a mind of its own at times, reacting with our own conscious knowing. This was one of those times, in the presence of a girl my body acted without my thinking. I found my dreams suddenly changed, when her aura brushed over, sending tingles through, a message to my deeper self my mind would protest if conscious. In my right mind, Estelle was the purest creature I knew, one I could never conceive of in such an amorous light.

_Oh, what am I doing_, she cried to herself, questioning. _I was warned never to do things like touching a man like this until marriage. But now that I'm alone with one, I'm so curious. _

She was an inquisitive princess always wandering off to explore, so its not surprising she decided to say. But when her hand touched me moments ago, the murmurings of the flesh that had built up in me since she entered finally came to life. I could no longer fight the desire mounting in my pants, aching flesh of my arousal constricted beneath my clothes. Frustrated, I finally stirred, opening my eyes clouded by lustful thoughts. It'd been so long since I lay with a woman, it was tempting, but I couldn't, not with her, not Estelle.

"Yuri, you're awake! Are you hurt?" she cried, throwing herself on me.

"Yeah, I'm fine Estelle, I'm not hurt." I sat up turning away. "I'm just experiencing what…most guys do." I meant being turned on.

"I don't understand." Her watery eyes searched me. "Are you sure I can't heal you, like back at the coliseum?"

"I'm fine, really. You're sad, aren't you? About Belius's loss, its why you're here," I whispered, fighting the ache in my pants. No, I couldn't take advantage of her in a situation, against her innocence and grief, or Flynn would loose all respect for me, what little he had left.

"You did what you thought was right. You meant to help her. She held no hard feelings when she passed." I spoke with sympathy till here, when a harsh tone cut in my deepening voice. Glancing uncomfortably, I ran a hand down my arm where the scar remained, when I'd cut myself earlier in the coliseum. "Or do I have to cut myself again, so you can heal me and understand?" I eyed her sharply.

"I've really been a burden to you, haven't I?" Sorrow crept in her voice. "Judith was right that all I was doing was acting selfish by ordering your guild, Brave Veseperia, to go to every place on my whim." She shook her head, turning away on my bed. "Flynn was right when we first met him back at Nor Harbor, saying that you were so single minded when it came to protecting others, you're willing to sacrifice yourself to do it. I understand why Flynn was worried you've take things too far. So stop thinking you can do everything yourself, and let me bear it with you, the pain that hurts you inside…"

"I'm not in pain, Estelle." I rose to my feet facing away from her.

"You are hurt, Yuri, I can sense it," she insisted, rising up behind me.

She was right when she said she was incorrigible, whenever something or someone caught her eye, she forgot about everything else. _Next I order you around, yell at me, would you, _she told me before we took this trip after Pharoeh attacked Dahgrest calling Estelle an 'insipid poison.' She then she'd been in pain, even more now that she took Belius's life. Again, my weakness Flynn spoke of, my desire to help others left me helpless at a loss of words what to say this moment.

Before I could answer, in all innocence wanting to help only from the bottom of her heart, Estelle embraced me from behind, meaning to feel what she perceived as a wound like I had back at the coliseum, slipping her hands down to my chest, beyond my stomach where I thought she'd stop, only lower at the ache in my pants. Her ginger touch ignited a full arousal, expressed at the pain revealed in my face. A rare moment, I wasn't one for angst, catching her off guard.

"Just like Belius, I hurt—"

I cut her off when I spun around, seizing her wrists in my hands. My sudden use of force shocked her in surprise across her face.

"It's not like that, Estelle. We're at that age when we're no longer kids, at least not physically," I began, softening my hold. "We began to notice each other's bodies, wanting to explore them. That's what the lure of seduction was about Judith used at Heliord to draw away the guard. When I said you weren't 'sexy enough' for it, I meant you weren't ready. I didn't want to see you hurt then, just as I do now. That's why, you shouldn't touch me…like that."

I released her seeing tears swim in her eyes. "Because it makes me think things, want to do things with you that aren't right…"

"But if I can do something, you'll feel better, won't you, Yuri?" She raised her hands to my cheeks.

I dropped my visage, cursing my bodily reaction, wrapping my hands around her delicate wrists. "You could, but Flynn wouldn't forgive me."

"If its something I wanted, he'd understand. I worry about you just like he does." Estelle turned her wrists out around my hands, clasping them between hers. "Whatever it is, let me bear it. You've gone so far to save me, risking your life, when I haven't been able to repay your guild—no you, for the things you've done. Please, Yuri, I think I know what is it you want, so there's no need to…hold back…" Her quivering voice trailed off.

I couldn't believe what she said. All the warmth, the intimacy that'd built between us died between us, at least inside my heart. I strode towards the exit of the cabin, needing time alone to the single dim lamp that pointed the one, when she hugged me from behind, crying into my back.

"Yuri…I…I…" Her voice caught in her throat.

Her dewy eyes wet with tears, watery emeralds gazing up, searched me when I turned around in her grasp. Her little body shook buried against mine, her chin angled up, just reaching below my shoulder, she cried, "I just want to be with you, traveling by your side. It's why I can't go back to the castle with Flynn. Discovering who I am as the Child of the Full Moon is only part of it…"

"Yuri, if you make love to me," she begged, cupping my cheeks again in her palms, trembling. "I know that will alleviate the 'pain' you not only feel in your body, but heart as well. When you talked how we're not kids, that's what I realized what you were…feeling." Pressing her body to mine, she ran her hand again over the bulge mounting in my pants.

A soft moan escaped my throat at the sensations that coursed through when she touched me my body knew it wanted more, to take her in my arms. I bit my lower lip, shaking my head, reaching down to brush her hand away. "Estelle, no…"

"Please, its okay," she insisted, stroking it again through my clothes, while winding her other arm around my neck. Reaching up, her eyes fluttered shut as she stole my lips in a…kiss. "Yuri, I love you," she whispered, a beautiful blush tingeing her maiden cheeks. They flushed from the blood rushing beneath her cheeks, pink like the shade of coral, matching her hair in hue.

Her trembling lips, that same delicate pink, parted whispering, "You've always been so kind, Yuri, going so far on this journey so you wouldn't see me in pain. You've done so much for me, even wanting to cut yourself again, like you did back at the coliseum so I could heal you. I worry like Flynn does when I see you sacrifice yourself for others. So you don't have to do that."

Her touch grew bolder, at the same time hesitant, as I was the first man she felt in this way. The flush coloring her cheeks brightened, revealing the wonder in her heart at the intrigue of a man's body, how the blood swelling in my organ strained at her slightest touch. She realized with surprise just how obvious a man's arousal could be.

"That doesn't hurt, does it?" she murmured, her cadence shaky and low. Her large green eyes, swimming with tears like emeralds, gazed full of affection and love, wanting to draw out my heart. "In my studies of literature I read, I learned that when two people hold special feelings, this is what they do. I've seen how kind, how selfless you are, and I…I couldn't help falling in love. I…I'm sorry, Yuri, forgive me!" she cried, with tears streaming down her cheeks, leaving wet tracks in their wake.

One that rolled down onto my hand I caught glistened like a watery diamond, with light dancing in its depths, from the flickering flame the single lantern in the cabin gave off. I smiled softly, wiping the tears from her face. "No, it doesn't hurt, I'm just…hard," I murmured, feeling a blush color my cheeks.

I didn't know what to say. As a man I was trained to be less openly emotional, less demonstrative than a woman might be in general. Yes, I do feel, even occasionally cry, but rarely express my feelings. I felt myself loosing control of rational thought, struggling harder not to see Estelle in an amorous light. But with every word I said, action I took, her supple body, untouched by any questing man's, her tender heart calling out all made my mind loose this battle. The moment that happened, my awareness became fully focused in one single point of my being: my arousal having grown sensitive and heavy in my pants tight and confining.

"I…I just don't want to hurt you, Estelle," I cried, shaking my head. By this point my blood pressure already rose, respiration increased in sweat coating my skin, making my clothes sweaty, with the nerves in my arousal begging for release. "This is your first time with a man, isn't it? And I can't say if I love you, feeling the way you do," I gasped, trying not to moan from the weight of her body on mine, the sensation driving me wild, I fear I'd hurt her submitting to my desire.

"It's okay, Yuri, I'm being selfish again, aren't I? Making you act on my feelings," she sniffled, her gaze locked with mine, and body pressing into mine even harder.

"No, this is something I want…too," I moaned softly, holding her an arms length away. "But if I hurt you, you know I couldn't forgive myself."

"I'll be alright. I trust you with all my heart," she whispered, burying her head in my chest, against my beating heart. "Being with you traveling has made me the happiest I've ever been. And even if I found out who I was as the Child of the Full Moon, I couldn't return to the castle, not without knowing what its like to make love to one I truly feel for. Locked up in that castle, I'd be forced to marry someone for the sake of having an heir, without knowing what true love's really about…"

"Estelle, I don't truly know how I feel, you're like a little sister, someone I want to protect, yet I'm attracted to you at the same time," I sighed, wanting to push her away, cursing my aching erection. "You're a princess, that's exactly the reason we can't do this. If you're the next Empress and have to have an heir…"

"If you…you don't feel the same way me, its okay, I know this was rather sudden. But I'm tired of being a princess, who can't do things because of her rank," she cried, nuzzling her face now in the crook of my neck. "The time now I'm away from the castle, on this journey with you, may be my one chance to experience…things I always wanted."

By this point, I knew if I denied Estelle's advances I'd truly hurt her. She'd fallen so deeply in love her mind knew no release. But as her guardian, Flynn placed a trust in me I swore to uphold as his friend. Forgive me, Flynn, I don't have your control or your restraint. Seeing this pure creature who showers her compassion on others, especially me, most unworthy, I can't break her heart by refusing. I know not if what I'm about to do will shatter my bond with her or strengthen it, only that its been so long since I laid with a woman, one so sweet and loving.

"Are you…sure?" my deep silky voice flowed out, creeping up her neck, into her ears, making her gasp.

Her knees buckled at the sound of my voice, causing her to slip, falling forward if my strong arms hadn't caught her. One of my arms snaked around her waist, the other around her slender sloping shoulders, both pulling her close and squeezing tightly at once. With my arm around her shoulders, I reached up with my hand tilting back her chin. That exposed her pale throat as I bent in, raining butterfly-kisses down her soft white skin, feeling her pink feathery hair tickle my kissing face. I paused a moment gazing deeply into her green eyes, fluttering half shut, with passion and fear writhing in their depths.

"Since this is your first time, I can understand you're nervous," I whispered, my very voice seeming to possess her.

"Yuri…" her breath brushed past her parted lips, struggling to voice the words caught in her throat. "I…"

"I'll be as gentle as I can. I want this to be special for you, to feel no…pain." A smile played on my lips, holding back the desire visible within my eyes: deep black wells smoldering with passion that scared her, at the same time they entranced her.

Seeing deeper to my soul inside as she lost herself in my gaze, a tender calmness filled her in a smile over her lips.

"That kindness you have, you show so readily to others Belius spoke of, makes your heart, spirit and soul pure too," I said, studying her doll-like features. "Pure beyond anything this world has seen. In your compassion you'd never hurt another. Me on the other hand, if I think killing another human being that's caused others suffering will save lives, I'll do it without regret just as I did Cumore and Ragou. How could you want a man such as myself, who thinks he can change the world, by raining down his justice, to make love to one as pure as you?"

"You…killed other humans," she almost cried in horror. "But you did save others," she murmured, claiming my mouth in hers. I sighed into her kiss, shivering as her hands caressed my face, slipping into my hair: long purple strands she threaded through down my back. "So I'm not afraid of you, Yuri. You risked your life for me, protecting me at all costs. You're the one…person I want to share this experience with. I…I love you so much, it hurts."

"Yes, Estelle, I know," I whispered, "I can't say feel the same way right now, but I do know your compassion has touched me, just as it has Belius. Because of that, I want to do everything I can to make this experience special." _But my heart is so dark. You shouldn't have fallen in love with me_. I couldn't tell her that breaking her tender heart. "What if I had to turn my blade even on you?"

"You wouldn't without a reason," she answered, loosing herself in my gesture as I motioned for her to follow. My body sank back in the mattress like a snowy blanket of cloth, broken only by ripples in the fabric where I lay. I wore the same clothes I had during the day: a silver colored vest, along with black pants and the boots I just kicked off. She gliding over to me, as if on a current of air, kneeling beside the bed I lay on.

Every gaze I took, every breath I exhaled drew her closer. She reached out brushed a few strands of purple hair out of my face, leaning in, searching my eyes. I batted my long black lashes, my eyes slipping half shut, reflecting her own lovely image swimming in my pools. Lost for a moment, the pink-haired angel smiled, a blush crossing her cheeks when I offered a hand to her, my fingers splayed, that she wove her fingers through. With her other free hand, she ran it down the Adam's apple of my throat, my touch assuring her in our interlaced hands everything was okay. Whenever she hesitated, I gave a gentle squeeze, coaxing her to explore my partially exposed chest in the skin my vest revealed.

Estelle shyly knelt over, resting on her stomach next to me, her dainty fingers latching onto the zipper bounding my vest on. As she tugged it down, inch by inch of my pectorals came into view. Surprised, her eyes widened taking in the smoothness of my skin, the nubs of my chest hardening as her timid hands brushed over. She paused until I whispered, "It's okay," taking her hand down to my stomach and undoing there the thick leather belt trimmed in gold. She gasped slipping her hand inside the hem of my pants.

I didn't know at this point if she'd ever seen a man undressed, what her reaction might be to see me in such a light. I swallowed hard, closing my eyes, cursing my manhood that it revealed my passion so easily, straining up harder against my clothes and aching. I forced myself to hold back, biting my lower lip, wanting to cry I might frighten the poor girl. If I were a virginal princess, protected from the entire world, harbored behind castle walls, suddenly thrust outside with a strange man as myself, I too would be scared.

As if Estelle sensed my fear and pain with the compassion in her heart, her greatest strength, I heard her whisper, "Shh," in my ear, sending shivers up my spine, soothing over my worries. Still with my eyes closed, I sensed entirely through touch and hearing, she hooked her fingers inside the hem of my pants, the pressure of the fabric slipping against my arousal, agonized in a pleasurable sort of way. At the last possible second, I opened my eyes a crack at first wincing, dreading Estelle's reaction. The sudden release of the fabric gone when my pants were pulled to my knees, the cold air hitting my full hardness pressed up to my belly, made me want to cry such an innocent girl should see this.

With other women like Judith, openly flirtatious and sensual, I could enjoy the act without thinking. But I bonded emotionally to Estelle like no other, feeling a bridge between our very souls, in her compassion that touched my heart.

"Oh…" she murmured. Her voice brimmed with wonder. Her face glowed with curiosity like a child's when at last I gathered the courage to open my very eyes.

Through tangled purple locks falling in my face, I made out a sweet smile, as if she'd just discovered something wonderful for the first time, running her hands up the smooth column of my length, her touch tender like it was some fragile thing protected from the air, in how her slender fingers curled gently around, feeling my pulse beneath. Her fingers were long and thin, so delicate in their touch as she explored the fullness of my length, flowing with the strength a healer's hands possessed. What she did only brought a smile, the last of my fears dying when I realized the warmth emanating from her hands was magic.

"Oh," she repeated, unconscious she was even healing me. "I didn't mean to…"

"No, that feels good, unlike anything I've felt, using artes along with lovemaking. It's something I wouldn't of thought of." I felt a gentle smile play upon my face, finding myself at ease. "It seems our princess is just full of surprises." I sat up, drawing her closer on my knees, her hands still wrapped around my length, cradling it in her grasp.

Her soul glowed in her eyes seeming to smile through, in her vivid green pools sparkling with light. Seeing the purity of her soul I gazed into, I realized what Belius said was so true: compassion was her greatest strength through the feelings she showed towards others. I reflected too just how dark my own heart was in comparison to hers. She's so innocent she doesn't even know what the darkness lurking in me is.

If she saw Cumore's face when I struck him frozen with fear, withering in utter terror as the sands swallowed him whole, that very expression of hate turned to coldness etched in my face, showing not an ounce of feeling, when I said, _How many times have you heard the same cries to live from people you killed, children's parents sent into the desert to die an agonizing death, now you know how they feel_, Estelle would have never fallen in love with me.

As we make love, I fear the darkness in my heart may cloud her very innocence, corrupting that purity Belius highly regards. The darkness in me is about to swallow the light in her, yet her innocence, her greatest strength blinds her this very moment. As she explored the manliness my body, she marveled at its reaction in how it responded to her touch. Its throbbing flesh came alive in her hold, making my heart race down there, when her lips soft touched its skin, tenderly brushing my pulse, down there, honoring my being. She was apart to take it into the cavern of her mouth, when my hands came down cradling her chin, tilting it up to see me.

Her emerald eyes widened, lips trembled, a few strands of pink hair falling in her face.

I brushed them back, lifting her on my knees. Bending forward, I pressed a kiss to her nose, smiling gently to assure her. "Doing something like that can make a person choke if they're not ready," I explained.

"But Yuri, in that book I read, that made it seem…" Blushing, she dropped her gaze, hiding her face between my thighs.

"You've learned a lot through our journey, that some things can only be discovered through experience." I stroked her hair, lifting her chin up again. "I'd like to undress you. Is that okay?"

Estelle's attention turned back to her own self, glancing at her dress, she became aware of sensations she hadn't before in exploring, focused on my body instead. "I feel different, as if my body wants something too…"

A chuckle escaped my lips. "You're aroused, it's a normal reaction women experience. It prepares their body for intercourse." I paused, turning away. "Can I…?"

"It's okay, Yuri, I'll do it myself," she replied timidly, rising to her feet.

I closed my eyes, breathing deeply, sensing her nervousness in hearing her squirm, as she struggled to reach behind for the zipper on her back, fastening the outer layer of her dress over her pink gown snug beneath.

"I'll help you," I said, quick behind her, before she said a word, freeing of that layer when it slipped to the floor, pooled at her feet in white.

With that mass of fabric gone, she felt the heat of my body through the sheerness of her gown. It clung to her slender frame, still thin from the girlishness of youth, but womanly enough in her chest growing and hips curving out. The sight of bare skin, in her shoulders and legs, untouched by any man sent thrills through me, knowing I'd claim her as mine. I wrapped my arms around her narrow shoulders, my violet hair drifting her in face when I bent over, kissing her trembling neck. I made sure my touch was tender, fully restrained, but my throbbing arousal pressing into her hip, made her body shiver in response, knowing full well what it meant.

"Are you afraid of me, of my body? I can stop," I told her, having slipped off the rest of my clothes, standing fully bare before her. My steady gaze regarded her calmly, drawing her sight back up.

Focused on my face, she stopped quivering still clad only in her gown, with hands clasped modestly over her chest, as if to shield herself from my gaze and the foreignness of a man's body discovered for the very first time. "No, I mean I…"

"You've lived a sheltered life, Estelle. It must've been hard for you to meet men and learn what they're really like," I said softly, noticing her gaze wander down, flicking back up at my voice. "Because as a princess—"

"I don't want to be, not out here." She shook her head, closing the distance between us. "I want to be free like any girl would be, that I'm not…"

"It's okay, I know," I whispered, lifting her in my arms, laying her on my bed.

Leaning over to kiss her, I caressed her cheeks in my hands, planting soft kisses on her face. My kisses over her closed eyes and mouth, my warm breath on her skin, sent greater shivers through. To show she wasn't afraid, she lifted her arms above her head, allowing me to work the fabric of her gown up and off her supple body. Panting, I moved right over, cupping one of her small breasts in my hand. I stroked, kissing the space between over her beating heart, finding when I glanced up only love in her teary emerald eyes. Our gazes locked, I teased her sensitive buds with my tongue, drawing out sweet moans.

The sensation between her thighs grew overwhelming, brought on by my ministrations. I reached for the valley of her thighs, afraid if I touched her the wrong way, she'd fear my touch forever. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, praying I'd touch her gently, when my hand parted her moist furrow, slipping one finger in, wet with dew. With knees widespread I straddled her as a gardener does the earth, nestled in the cradle of her thighs, as her trembling legs wrapped around mine.

"I want you to…relax, alright Estelle?" I murmured, leaning forward over her, lifting her chin meet my face. "You may bleed a little the first time. It might hurt, until you adjust, but I want you to trust me, okay?"

She nodded, her attention wandering back to my arousal near her thighs. If she could see into my soul, through my eyes, in this special moment, she wouldn't be afraid feeling the fear. Smiling gently, I let all the love I could show through in my eyes, black wells reflecting her image, mine I beheld mirrored back in hers. Claiming her lips in mine, ever tenderly, our eyes fluttering half shut but always opened, meeting, I pushed my hips forward, guiding myself in with one hand. I shaded my fear with a calm, outer guise, hearing a whimper flutter from her throat, as she felt my hardness slip in inch by gentle inch, like a fire against her wetness.

A sharp pain shot through her loins momentarily, like a butterfly's wing snapped, only it was her maidenhead deflowered by my fullness moving in. The scent of blood told me she gave me her innocence, her body shaking as her legs tightened around mine.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, wondering if I should withdraw completely.

"A…little," she whispered.

I reached up, my quivering fingers brushing her cheeks as I held her close. I wrapped one arm around her neck, the other around her shoulders cradling her in my arms. One of her hands grasped mine, weaving her fingers between, pressed against her shoulder.

"It doesn't hurt…I'm okay, Yuri," she whimpered, shivering as my warmth stretched her inside, giving a soft cry, focusing beyond the pain.

I buried my face in hers, gently kissing her cheek, murmuring in her cheek, "Almost, just a bit more and it'll feel better." I wiped the tears rolling down her cheek, wanting to know I understood her pain, that it was okay. I pressed soft kisses down her neck, back up, meeting her lips, our eyes locked again, feeling myself fully inside at last, and a smile broke over her face.

"It'll feel good, I promise," I whispered, kissing the wet tracks on her face, doing my best to hold back not to hurt her, rocking gently within her.

She arched her back, returning my kisses, relaxing in a sigh. She nuzzled my neck, murmuring into my ear, "Yuri, I…"

"Ssh, it's alright," I replied, moving within her as she arched her back.

I slowly withdrew, my length caressing her as I filled her. Her hands roamed through my hair, lost in its tangles, her hips beginning to meet my motions, feeling the pain fade at last. As our rhythm built, her thighs tightened around my waist, urging me to continue. I felt our sweat coated skin, heard the pants and sighs of our breaths, wishing I made this experience one she cherished forever as the first man who took her in my arms.

"I…I love you, Estelle, " I whispered at last, when I could no longer with and fill her anymore, feeling a tightening in my loins, pulling at every muscle. I cried out wordlessly with her name on my lips, feeling my back arch, when the pleasure could build no more, I spilled my essence inside.

The same final release shot through her, calling out my name choked back, her body motionless in my arms when we collapsed. I rolled off her, withdrew, cradling her against me.

"Estelle, Estelle, are you okay?" I cried, shaking her resting body.

A tired smile crossed her face, her eyes clouded by dreams. "I'm…okay. Thank you, Yuri. I never imagined…anything like that was possible. Did you mean what you said?"

I nodded. "I knew something inside me changed, touched by your compassion. But I never imagined it was…love." I smiled.

It was a simple smile, the last thing she saw before she fell asleep, but one etched in her memory forever, whenever she closed her eyes, drifting to the world of dreams or heaven in the afterlife. It was such a smile that represented my being, glowing with the love of my soul. I could say at this point in my life, I found a force greater than the darkness of my heart, the pain I tasted through life, knowing no other way to express it, but let it rain on the villains of the world. The purity of her soul, which made me realize compassion is the greatest force that exists, gives me the hope that one daythat the world will change for the better, because that angel Estelle is the one who awakened the love within my heart.

_Owari_

* * *

Author's Notes: I hope this came out okay. Lemons really aren't my thing, but since there are so few Vesperia fics, I wanted to write one for this fandom. I want to thank everyone who reviewed my other Vesperia fic, _In Your Arms_. Without all the reviews, and wonderful feedback, I wouldn't have the courage to put this one up, much less finish it. Thank you darkangel for your support.


End file.
